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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The proximate impetus for this post was the set of bizarre statements - once again given on a plane - by Jorge Mario Bergoglio concerning war and religion. The statements were meant to apply to the current terrorist crisis - what some have called the "war on terror,""war on ISIS," "war against radical islam" or even "war against Islam." But I think it's obvious Bergoglio also meant them to apply generally.

Pope Francis on Wednesday responded to recent violence across the globe by saying that the world is at war.

“When I speak of war, I talk about it seriously, but it’s not a war of religion. It’s a war for money, for resources, for nature, for dominion. This is the war,” Pope Francis told journalists on his July 27 flight from Rome to Krakow.

“Could one think of a religious war? No. All religions want peace. Others want war,” he said. “Is that clear?”

Yes. And the claim is preposterous. Why does Bergoglio say weird things?I've made a list, focusing on this particular set of statements. But obviously everything on the list could be applied in other contexts.Why did Bergoglio say,“Could one think of a religious war? No. All religions want peace"?

Hatred of the "old" Catholic Church. By that I mean, hatred of the Church up until, well, himself, or at least up until Vatican II. In other words, hatred of 95%-99% of it. Since the Catholic Church has always had a "just war" tradition, and the Church actually ordered the Crusades, among other things, saying that "all religions (including Catholicism) want peace" is his childish way of taking another poke at the "old" Church.

Sympathy with Islam. Why Bergoglio would have sympathy with a demonic bloodthirsty ideology that has always been in violent opposition to the Catholic Church is another question. But there is no question that he does have sympathy for it. Since Islam is the most conspicuous example of a religion that does not want peace, saying that "all religions want peace" is a way of defending Islam.

Positioning himself as a world leader of religion, rather than the leader of the Catholic Church. Bergoglio is often friendly with atheists and non-believing political allies. But he also likes to emphasize the things he believes all religions have in common - often setting up an alleged quasi-conflict between religion and unbelief. Obviously. stressing that all religions are peaceful and wars are always a product of other causes, is an example of this. As to why he might seem more comfortable promoting religion in general, as opposed to, say, Christianity or Catholicism, see 7, below.

Quasi-Marxism. I do not believe Bergoglio is a systematic enough thinker to actually be a Marxist, but he came of intellectual age as a Latin American Jesuit in the second half of the twentieth-century, which means he soaked up a lot of it. History is filled with what most people call or think of as "religious wars," but the Marxist (while no friend of religion) would say that such wars are really about other things - generally having to do with economics. Sure enough, for Bergoglio, two Muslims shouting "Allah (God) is Great!" attacking a Catholic priest, nuns and worshipers during a Catholic church service - what would seem to be an almost paradigmatic example of religiously based conflict - is not about Islam, or Catholicism or religion but really about "money, for resources, for nature, for dominion." That's a Marxist analysis if there ever was one.

Pop theology. Modern pop theology declares that all religions are good and that to the extent that there seems to be religious aggression, conflict or violence is actually the product of extremism or extremists within the various religions. Bergoglio didn't explicitly claim that here but he has said as much on multiple other occasions.

The narcissistic desire to say something unexpected, new, different or profound. "You think that X, but I am here to tell you that really Y." We see the same sort of phenomenon in many "liberal" homilies. Priests have been giving homilies for 2,000 years. One wouldn't suppose it would even be possible to say anything new. But "liberal" priests think they're supposed to shake things up, make us think and all that (as well as challenge or contradict what ever came before). After all, isn't that what Jesus did?

Demonic influence. Given Bergoglio's record, any faithful Catholic who hasn't at least considered this, hasn't been paying attention. The devil or his demons do not simply lie. They mix lies with truths, half-truths and claims which are simply incoherent. The object is to cause confusion and despair. Hopefully (to them) people will not only come to doubt revealed Christian truth but also the notion that there is any truth. A large part of this demonic rope-a-dope strategy is the spouting of literal non-sense.

Dementia or Senility. Okay, admittedly, I've provided a long and varied list of other explanations, above, but I think part of it is actually this simple. We live in the world and the world has rules - of physics, biology and so on - that make some people lose their mental faculties with age. It happens.

I'm obviously long past the point where I care about being called uncharitable or not a faithful Catholic (because I'm being highly critical of the Pope from the position of a small-time blogger) or whatever. But if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that.Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the greatest threat to the Catholic Church of any man alive. If I (or anyone else) cannot speak out on that, then Catholicism is not much more than a Dear Leader cult. Obviously, I do not agree that it is.

12 comments:

The more pertinent question is why does any sensible person even care any more? You can have Peter's office and authority (where people like Michael Voris stop) and you can be completely illegitimate in exercising it.

The man is a fraud as a Catholic and one of those dim bulbs that imagines he's brilliant. Honestly, I just can't work up much interest in even blogging about " The idiotic thing Francis said today."

As we used to say about jurors who would clearly just miss most of the trial and vote along with everyone else, he's an empty chair. (A different kind of defendant's.)

I agree. It's become almost boring to write and read about. I think the occurrences for both of us have gone way down. This was my first in maybe, twenty posts. I guess I gave into temptation because it seemed like an authentically new and unique version of stupid.

I could be wrong about this, and half the time I am tempted to stop reading about him altogether and resign myself, but if nobody blogs about him, the anxiety is going to build. Am I weird, or are others finding it in some way consoling to see SOMEONE saying the unvarnished truth about this man and papacy. I do believe, to read his oddball comments and then not to share that misery with fellow Catholics, I do believe that would be worse, at least for me. Your explanations sound right to me, except perhaps the one about dementia. He is far too dogged, too deliberate, too predictable, to attribute his words and actions to be caused by cognitive slipping. His comments on the martyrdom of Father Hamel are an absolute disgrace to his office and himself and by extension, to the church and the faith. He cares little for victims of abortion, our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, who heartbreakingly must have looked to him for some reassurances and help, and his capitulation to Islam is horrifying in light of what we are seeing.

I agree totally with these comments! I keep telling myself to not pay attention to the latest idiotic statements he makes, and not make my own comments - but then along comes one like this ridiculous and outrageous statement after the horrific murder of a truly holy and CATHOLIC priest, nuns taken hostage, all during the holy Mass, and he says it's not about religion. It just reignited my anger that yet another false statement by him - and I again try to brush it aside to keep peace within my own soul.

Thanks to all of you who do bring out truth in our faith - keep up the good work! I have to go take aspirin now...my head hurts from shaking it so much in disbelief of yet another outrageous statement. I must refocus...and hang tight in spite of chaos, confusion, and craziness of this time we live in.

Kathleen1031,I heartily agree and sympathize. Thank you for expressing my own feelings precisely. The reassurance that "I'm not crazy" or "I'm not the only one" is fortifying and necessary!Let us all keep the faith -- in more ways than one -- and keep praying for each other.

this Holy Father seems to be very confused as to what is really happening in this world, this is certainly about Religion and is a Religious war especially for the Muslims who down through the ages have one goal in mind to kill Christians, pagan and anyone who does not agree with their faith and laws. How can anyone say it is not a religious war? Is our Pope living in reality or is he as confused as they come.? one is left wondering what is happening in the Church with our Church leaders.

I agree wholeheartedly with your argument and conclusions. My particular interest in commenting is your point 7 in possible reasons why he says this kind of thing.Do you remember how in the very beginning of his pontificate, he spoke an awful lot about the devil. AAfter a few months that stopped and, apart from vigorous persecution of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and removing several Tradition friendly bishops on the peripheries of his stage, since then it is all indifferentism, dialogue and accompaniment, and rapid dismantling so as to leave no firm foundation for Faith or Sacraments, let alone proselytism for the Church to work for salvation of souls. Neither Jews nor atheists need the Church under Francis' watch. So he wants to meet muslims where they are, and accompany them. I wish him well in that, but perhaps he would care to abdicate (or resign) before he leaves, and take his Cardinal Electors and supporters with him.